"whether
tomorrow's
session with
Syria rebel
Ahmad al
Jarba, the
second held
in Room S-310,
can properly
be called a 'UN
briefing' as
UNCA did in
July.
Also, it has
only been
publicized to
those who pay
UNCA dues --
but it is in a
UN room. These
questions
should be
answered
today."

But
the questions
were not
answered, or
even replied
to. For the
UN, it is
the Department
of Public
Information
which decided
to give the UN
Correspondents
Association
the key to
large room
S-310, as well
as an
office around
the corner,
which which to
hold faux
"UN
briefings"
publicized
only to those
who pay them
money, under
2013 UNCA president
Pamela Falk of
CBS.

Now
that the UNCA
Executive
Committee has
so blatantly
shown its
politics, what
does it say
that Ban
Ki-moon gives
the first of
his
only two or
three question
stakeouts to
UNCA 2013
president
Pamela
Falk? It is
propaganda-ville.

UNCA
is a
politicized
group -- it is
entirely
illegitimate
for DPI, and
officials like
the ones who
allowed France
to take over
the UN Press
Briefing Room
on Tuesday, to
continue to
give special
favors to
UNCA.
Watch this
site.

In
fairness,
this was DPI's
response to
the Free UN
Coalition for
access, and
FUNCA's reply,
UNresponded to:

Dear
Matthew,
You've already
seen a draft
of my response
but I am
sending
something more
formal to you
nonetheless.

As
a
courtesy to
their large
traveling
press corps
which had to
move
quickly from
the North Lawn
Building to
the
Secretariat
for Pres.
Hollande's
press
conference, we
allowed the
French
Delegation to
reserve a
number of
seats.

The
press
briefing room
was indeed
'standing room
only,' but in
the end you
and other UN
press corps
members all
had seats. I
also note that
a number of UN
correspondents,
affiliate with
UNCA and
FUNCA, were
able to ask
questions of
the President.

Thank
you
for this
response, but
it doesn't
answer the
question
asked: what
percentage
would be OK?

Could
France
have marked
70% of the
seats
Reserved? 80%?
That's what
FUNCA
is asking:
what is the
rule? Be
aware: there
were many
correspondents
who had
questions and
concerns about
those
"Reserved"
signs. So it
would be good
to answer.

Also,
it
did make a
difference: as
you saw, the
questions were
all
clustered in
the front of
the room.
Carla only got
a question
because
she just
started
asking: she
was not called
upon by the
French
mission.

FUNCA
continues
to challenge
the first
question
automatically
going to
UNCA, in the
briefing room
and now, it
seems, at mere
two or three
question
stakeouts.

There's
more
to be said,
but most
pressingly,
this is a
request for an
answer
from DPI
whether
tomorrow's
session with
Syria rebel
Ahmad al
Jarba,
the second
held in Room
S-310, can
properly be
called a "UN
briefing" as
UNCA did in
July. Also, it
has only been
publicized
to those who
pay UNCA dues
-- but it is
in a UN room.
These
questions
should be
answered
today, before
tomorrow's
session. Will
appreciate
it. Thanks.